


After the Fire

by m00ndussst



Category: Be More Chill - Iconis/Tracz
Genre: Angst, Hospital, I tried to keep the future ship ambiguous but I’m writing this so you know what it’s going to be, Jeremy and rich become friends and vent to eachother, freshman year flashbacks toward the end, jake is mentioned - Freeform, michael and rich become sort of friends, post fire, post squip
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-15
Updated: 2019-09-15
Packaged: 2020-10-19 11:23:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 4,471
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20656430
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/m00ndussst/pseuds/m00ndussst
Summary: Rich is in the hospital after Halloween and he gets to talk to Michael and Jeremy, while dealing with trauma from the squip and the fire.





	1. Before the Play

**Author's Note:**

> I spent months on this and now I can finally post it! This is almost one shot style? but it’s all one story. This first chapter is pretty slow, but it gets better I promise!

Rich woke up to blinding light. Everything hurt. He opened his eyes. He was in a hospital. Memories from Halloween flooded back to him and filled him with guilt. It was November 5, as shown by the calendar on the wall. He suddenly broke into a coughing fit. He tried to cover his mouth but then realized he was in a full body cast. A nurse rushed into his room.

“Richard? Are you awake?” she asked.

“Huh? Uh what happened?” he rasped.

“Do you need some water? Here, I’ll go get some.”

She came back in with the water and Rich chugged it down.

“So there was a fire, but someone saved you. He saved your life. You got by with some small fractures and severe burns. If he hadn’t of saved you, you probably would’ve died. You’re very lucky, you know.”

“Who was it?”

“Hm?”

“Who saved me?”

“Oh, that boy Jacob Dillinger. He broke both of his legs.”

“Is he okay?”

“He’s doing very well. He’ll probably be discharged in a few days.”

“Thank god.”

The hospital was very boring. All there was to do was watch TV. As for the squip, the hospital usually kept him sedated enough so he couldn’t see it. It could still murmur in the back of his mind, though.

Days went by, and it was November 12, the night of the play. He thought about Jake and how he was sad he couldn’t see him in the play and- Suddenly he felt a searing pain through is head, then he was screaming, then he passed out.

The squip was gone.

~

The next morning, Rich woke up dazed and confused. A few moments later, a nurse walked in. 

“Hello Richard. Our rooms are a little full so you’re going to be having a roommate! He goes to your school.”

_ He goes to my school? What happened? _

“Ok,” Rich replied.

“If you were wondering, it was some incident involving a school play and ecstasy,” the nurse said.

_ School play? Ecstasy? Is Jake okay? _

The nurse left the room and came back rolling a bed in.

It was Jeremy.


	2. Michael’s First Visit

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Michael visits Jeremy, who is still unconscious, and there’s another person in the room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> These chapters are going to be pretty short, but yeah here’s chapter 2.

A few hours later, Michael came to visit. He opened the door to the room and saw Rich.

“Oh, uh heeeey Rich. Sorry, I’m looking for Jeremy,” he said, beginning to close the door.

“Wait! Jeremy’s on the other side of this room. He’s not awake yet,” Rich said.

“Oh… okay…” Michael said. He walked into the room and pulled a chair next to Jeremy

“I’m sorry.” ‘Thorry’ was what it came out as. He braced himself for a shock that never came. His squip really was gone.

Michael looked over at him with a confused expression.  _ Since when did he have a lisp?  _ Michael thought. 

“About everything,” he continued, “I was the one gave Jeremy the squip. I also bullied both of you for years. I was the one who took it in the first place. Also all the homophobia and shit.”

Michael didn’t respond to that. 

“Do you remember me freshman year?” Rich asked. Michael pauses racking his brain.

“Hm. I’m not sure. Maybe we did a project together or something. Your voice sounds kinda familiar.”

“Wow. I didn’t think anyone did.”

“Huh.” Michael turned around and looked at Jeremy, seeming to be thinking deeply about something.

“Are you okay?”

“What?” Michael turned around, genuinely confused as to why Rich of all people would ask him that.

“Are you okay?” Rich repeated.

“Why are you asking me that?” Michael asked in response. Then, Rich finally realized why Michael was confused. He internally face palmed.

“OH! Yeah I get it. It’s weird to have ME asking that right?”

“Yeah kinda. Is your squip gone?”

“Yeah. I don’t know how though. Last night I just had a searing pain in my head and then I passed out. Do you have any idea how it happened?”

“I might have an idea. It all happened at the play.” Then Michael went on and explained everything that had happened at the play.

“That makes sense. My squip was connected to Jeremy’s.”

There was a pause and Michael turned around to Jeremy again. Then, after a while, he started crying as quietly as he could.  _ Jeremy. Please wake up. I miss you. _

“Are you crying?” Michael didn’t respond. “Dude are you okay?”

“I-I’m fine. Just leave me alone.”

“That’s kind of hard. I legit can’t move.”

“Just stop talking to me!”

“Okay,” Rich said softly. For a few minutes, they didn’t talk until Rich tried to start up the conversation again. “I can kinda relate, not quite in the same way, but at least it’s not your fault he’s in here, y’know?”

“I said stop talking to me.”

“Sorry… it’s just, it’s hard not to when I’ve been sitting here, at least consciously, for like a week! And no one has visited.”

“Really? Not even Brooke or Chloe?”

“I committed arson.”

“...oh yeah, right.”

Then there was silence again, until a few minutes later Michael turned to leave.

“Thanks for talking to me. At least a little.”

Then Michael left without another word.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed! Please leave comments and kudos!


	3. The New Richard Goranski

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Michael visits again and gets to know about the squip and gets to meet the real Rich.

The next day Michael came back.

“So… what’s your name? I’m actually really bad with names without my squip.”

“I’m Michael Mell.”

“Cool.”

They didn’t speak for a few minutes, as Michael looked over Jeremy, but this time it was Michael who broke the silence.

“So how much of the squip was actually you? Do you think Jeremy really did hate me?”

“I think it depends on the person, for me it was like entirely not me because I’m lame as fuck.”

“Oh.”

“So Jeremy probably didn’t hate you.”

“I guess that’s good. I don’t entirely know what squips can do. Like what are some basic functions?”

“It can do a lot of things. It can shock you, control you, or just give you “advice.” It breaks you down then builds you back up as an improved person.”

“So it can control your body? And shock you?”

“Yeah. If you defy it it shocks you.”

“Why did you put up with that for years? It insults you too, right?”

“Before it I was a loser with no friends. Then I was cool and had lots of friends, as long as I obeyed it wasn’t so bad.”

“Oh.”

“It took me a long time to realize that it was bad news. Like in October is when it got really bad. It would tell me squip the school, and it started getting meaner, so I started to realize it actually wasn’t good and I didn’t want anyone else to suffer. It’s hard to notice. Friends made on lies are better than not having any.”

“Shit. Did Jeremy have all that for months?”

“Probably not as bad as mine. It takes awhile to gain your trust. Seriously, it’s awful.”

“Theriouthly?”

Rich glared, annoyedly at Michael.

“Sorry. It’s just... different.”

“It’s weird for me too. I haven’t really heard my real voice in like two years. I really hated having to make fun of Jeremy’s stuttering because I also have a speech impediment.”

“Oh.”

There was a lull in the conversation and Michael went to looking at his phone.

“Hey Michael, I haven’t been able to see for like a week, can you maybe get my glasses for me?”

“Uh okay I guess, where are they?”

“They’re probably in that bag. Someone brought it for me and then that bitch Mary set it on the floor where I can’t reach it! Mary I legit cannot move! My squip was on until last night so it wasn’t a problem until now.”

Michael dug through the bag and found a pair of thick lensed glasses. “Woah is this how bad your eyes are?”

“Yeah my eyes are shit.”

“Okay… do you want me to- uh put them on you?”

“I think that’s the only option.”

“Okay…” Michael put the glasses on him. Rich blinked a few times.

“Holy shit I can see again. I haven’t worn glasses since freshman year.”

“I was having trouble picturing nerd Goranski but I think I can see it now.”

“Shut up!”

They both laughed a bit, then Michael checked the time. 

“Oh sorry, I have to go home now. My moms are really strict about curfew.”

“That’s chill. See you around I guess.”

And Rich was alone once again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed! Please leave comments and kudos!


	4. Another Visit

The next day, Michael came to visit Jeremy a third time.

“Hey- oh shoot what’s your name… Markus, Mitchell… MICHAEL! Hey Michael.”

“You really are bad with names, huh?”

“Yeah it takes me like a week to be remember them.”

“I wish Jeremy was awake.”

“Yeah… that sucks. It’s good he has a friend that cares about him.”

“Oh! That reminds me…” then Michael rummaged through his bag and pulled out a stuffed bear, “I kinda felt bad that no one visited so I got you this.”

Rich grinned widely and replied, “Thanks. That means a lot to me.” Michael awkwardly set the bear down beside Rich.

“Sorry if this is kinda personal, but why did you get a squip in the first place? Jeremy got his because he wanted to date Christine. It’s probably not gonna work out though, because of the play.”

“I got mine because I wanted to be popular because I was a nerd with no friends.”

“Oh…”

~

They chatted every so often until a Michael has to leave. All of this was surreal to Michael, he was still processing it. His bully was much more amiable than he thought. He knew Rich had a squip, but it hadn’t occurred to him that Rich was a nerd beforehand. He seemed like the kind of person he could be friends with. It was a lot to think about.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed! Please leave comments and kudos!


	5. The Hospital Scene

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jeremy finally wakes up.

It was a normal, boring day, about the time that Michael would come visit, when Jeremy woke up.

“Hello?” He tried to get up but finds that doing so hurts, “Ow, ow ow ow ow ow!”

“Feels like you’re missing a part of yourself doesn’t it?”

“Rich?” Jeremy was still unsure of what was happening.

“Hurts like a motherfucker too. Be honest, what are they saying about me at school?” Jeremy cringes. “That bad?”

“Sorry…”

“Sorry? I’m finally free of that shiny, happy hive mind! When I get outta here the ladies are gonna learn to love the real Richard Goranski.” He thought about that statement for a second, then had a revelation, “and the dudes… Oh my god I’m totally bi!”

Jeremy was still very confused. “Your squip’s gone? But how?”

“Ask your buddy,” ah shoot what was his name? “antisocial headphones kid? He’s been by like a ton, by the way. What is he, your boyfriend?” Rich asked jokingly, then panicked, realizing how that sounded after him being the person he was. “No judgement! Totally bi now!”

Then, Michael came in for his usual visit. “I’m sure someone special will be lucky to have you, Rich.” 

“You think?” Rich replied.

Michael pulled the curtain shut. Jeremy and Michael discussed how the squip shut off and their friendship, then someone, who Rich could only assume was Jeremy’s dad, came into the room. He said Jeremy was grounded. Then they all started talking about Christine.

“You gotta buy her a rose and compliment her clothes,” Jeremy’s dad advised.

“Say you appreciate that she’s smart,” Michael added.

“Nah man you tell her that she excites you sexually!” Rich said half jokingly, half not knowing how to give dating advice. Squipless, Rich was basically clueless when it came to dating. The squip basically taught him that relationships were based on sexual conquest. 

“And that’s the way you get to her heart!” Jeremy’s dad finished.

“Thanks guys.”

“So when are you going to ask her out?” Mr. Heere mentioned casually.

“I don’t know? At some point… soon? Maybe?” Jeremy replied, awkwardly.

“So Jeremy, is this your friend?” Mr. Heere asked his son, gesturing at Rich.

“Uh not really? We know each other.”

“Ah okay.”

Jeremy and his dad continued their conversation. While Jeremy and his dad were having a moment, Michael pulled over a chair by the foot of Rich’s bed.

“Hey Michael,” Rich said, unsure of why Michael was there.

“Hey Rich.”

“So what’s that pants thing all about?”

“Uh his dad was depressed for a long time after his divorce, so he wouldn’t wear pants.”

“Oh. That sucks. My dad doesn’t do anything. Unless he’s angry…” Rich mentioned, not wanting to elaborate on that.

“So how’re you doing…?” 

“Could be worse I guess. Apparently I had a whole buncha grafts before I woke up. I guess that’s how bad the burns are,” he said, cringing at the thought.

“At least you’re not dead.”

Rich sighed, looking down at the floor. Michael was taken aback by the implications of the sigh.

“...o-oh… if you need to talk-“

“Yeah yeah I’m fine, Michael,” Rich said, cutting Michael off.

“So you’re bi, huh?” Michael said, changing the subject.

“Yup.”

~

After a while, Michael and Mr. Heere left, and Rich fell asleep.

Rich had a very restful night, while Jeremy did not.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed! Please leave comments and kudos!


	6. Bonding

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rich gets his cast off and Jeremy and Rich start to bond.

Rich woke up the next morning to Jeremy sitting up in the bed next to his. 

“Good morning. Did you uh sleep well?” Rich greeted.

“I didn’t sleep at all actually.” Jeremy replied.

“Oh. That sucks. I would probably be the same if I wasn’t on as many drugs. Are you okay, though?”

“Yeah it’s fine…”

“If you were fine you would probably be able to sleep. You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to though.”

“W-well… I can still hear it… I think?”

“The squip?”

“Yeah… if I fall asleep, it’s in my dreams. I- I don’t know if I’m hearing it or maybe it’s just me.”

Rich looked genuinely concerned. As a fellow squip user, this could be a big problem. “What’s it saying.”

“It- it keeps saying. I-I’m terrible. Everything about me makes everyone want to die. No one likes me…” Jeremy started to tear up.

“It’s wrong. I’m sorry for all the shit I said to you the last year and a half, I didn’t mean any of it. The squip is nasty and toxic. And I mean, you’ve had a best friend for twelve years! Why would he stick around for so long if you made him want to die?”

“W-what?”

“I know it sounds stupid coming from me, but I mean it.”

“W-what?”

“Yes!”

“Really?”

“Yeah.”

“Thanks,” Jeremy replied, his crying stopping.

“Don’t mention it,” Rich smiled, full of sincerity. He hadn’t been allowed to help people or be 100% sincere for a long time.

~

“When do you get that cast off? Do you know?” Jeremy asked later that day.

“Today or tomorrow I think.”

“Oh. Cool.”

Ironically, at that moment, a nurse came in to tell Rich it was time to get his cast off.

“Richard? It’s time to take off your cast.”

She wheeled his bed out of the room. As they took off the cast, Rich saw large burns covering a large portion of his body, mostly on his left side. Memories of being stuck in the fire came flooding back, vividly. He began coughing, then the nurses gave him a glass of water and reminded him to breathe. Then, they warped bandages on the worst spots of the burns. He felt an onset of tears coming on, which he tried his best to suppress. As they rolled his bed back into its spot, Jeremy noticed that it looked like Rich was holding back tears.

“Hey, you okay?” He asked.

“I- I’m fine,” Rich replied, making it even more obvious that he was trying not to cry.

“That bad?”

“... yeah.”

“You can talk to me… if you need to… if you want.”

“They remind me of… It’s all my fault,” Rich mumbled, a few small tears starting to roll down his cheeks.

“What is?” Jeremy said softly.

“Everything that happened! The squips, the fire! Now I have to face the consequences,” He said, sniffling.

“It's not your fault, it was the squip’s!” Jeremy attempted to comfort.

“It wasn’t! I took the squip! I chose to follow it, didn’t I? Hell, I even gave you one!”

“Well…” he paused to think of another point, “squipped you wasn’t really  _ you _ , was it?”

“... I guess not. But that’s a whole other problem. I repressed my real self for so long, it can’t come back. I don’t know who I am anymore.” At this point, Rich was thoroughly bawling.

“Well… your friends can help you find yourself again.”

“I don’t have any friends. Not anymore.”

“I could be your friend?”

Rich’s eyes lit up. “Really? After all I did to you, you’d still want to hang out with me?”

“Yeah,” Jeremy said with slightly more confidence, “I know what it’s like to have a squip, so I’ll help you get through it.”

“Which is also my fault, that you know what it’s like.”

“Not everything is your fault. Let me share the blame, please. Sharing is caring and that’s what friends do.”

“You mean that?”

“Yes.”

“Thank you. So much.”

“I could only do the same after you helped me.”

~

“Is it really cold in here or is it just me?” Rich asked, after a few minutes.

“Uh, I think it’s just you?”

“There might be a hoodie is this bag.” He bent down after being in a full body cast for two weeks to get it and every movement hurt. “Ow ow ow ow ow ow. I got it.” It was a black hoodie with a Lord of the Rings logo on it.

Jeremy laughed as Rich pulled it on. “Lord of the Rings? Really?”

“Shut up! It’s from freshman year okay? But Lord of the Rings is really good.”

“Nerd,” Jeremy said under his breath, jokingly.

“Oh? Really? Well how about now?” he took his glasses from the nightstand next to his bed. Jeremy burst out laughing.

“Is this really what you looked like freshman year?”

“Yeah, I mean minus the red streak and the muscles. I would flex but that hurts.”

They both kept laughing and joking.

“Thanks for letting me talk to you,” Rich said.

“Uh no problem.”

Talking to each other was a new experience for both of them, but they both enjoyed it. They felt a special bond forming between them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed! Please leave comments and kudos!


	7. Smartphone

That evening, Rich decided to finally check his phone to see what people were really saying about him at school. He reached into his bag, which he had concluded that his brother brought for him, and pulled out his phone. It smelled like smoke and had a cracked screen, but somehow it survived. The phone came from the pocket of his burned Halloween costume, which the nurses had put in his bag. Upon seeing the costume, he cringed remembering what happened that night. He unlocked his phone. His wallpaper, which was a picture of him and Jake, also brought back many memories. They had a lot of good times for a relationship built on lies. Finally, opening social media, he was flooded with notifications.

The messages ranged from “I hope you’re okay” to “I’m sorry you died” to “You deserve it”. Brooke’s post read “RIP Rich Goranski. You were an amazing person. I remember the good times we had as a group, and I’ll never forget our amazing memories. I’m so sorry you’re gone! I’ll miss you. xox” Reading that and all the other messages, he started shaking and crying. The phone slipped out of his hands.

“Are you okay?” Jeremy asked.

“I- I- my… my phone,” he said through tears.

“What about your phone?” 

“I checked social media. I wish I didn’t.”

“Oh… Oh,” he said, realizing what that meant,”That… must be harsh.”

“Y-yeah.”

“Can I look at it?”

“Sure, I guess.”

Jeremy took the phone, very concerned about what he was reading. 

“Shit, man.”

“I think I’m gonna delete the account.”

“What?”

“I’m gonna delete it.”

“Oh. That’s probably a good idea. Do you want me to do it for you?”

“Please,” Rich said quietly.

Jeremy spent about 20 minutes trying to figure out how to delete the account, but managed to do it eventually.

“I did it.”

“Thank you,” Rich said, softly.

“Are you okay?”

“They all think I’m dead. And that I deserved it. I mean if I did I would’ve but… it still hurts y’know?”

“You don’t deserve to die, Rich.”

“After all the shit I caused… you really mean that?”

“Yeah.”

Rich smiled at him genuinely. He was truly grateful that Jeremy would help him after all the bullying he did. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed! Please leave comments and kudos!


	8. Jeremy’s Promise

The next morning, Jeremy was set to leave the hospital. Rich had woken up before him and was glad to see that Jeremy was finally sleeping _ .  _ Just then, Jeremy woke up, slowly opening his eyes. 

“Good morning Jer,” Rich greeted.

“G’mornin’” Jeremy mumbled, still tired.

“So you’re getting discharged today?”

Jeremy paused to remember, then replied with a simple “yep.”

“That’s nice. I hope I can leave soon.”

“Mmhm?” Jeremy was still barely awake.

“Did you sleep well?”

“Yeah, no nightmares or anything.”

“That’s good. Oh and thanks for being nice to me. Don’t feel obligated to talk to me at school or anything.”

“What?” Jeremy replied, starting to become more awake.

“You don’t have to talk to me. I know hospitals are super boring so talking to me is like the only source of entertainment-“

“What? I want to talk to you. I know you’re a nerd like me and we should be there for each other, if anything were to happen… squip related…”

Rich was genuinely surprised by his answer.

“What?”

“We should look out for each other. I mean you had the squip for like two years and I had mine for a couple months so we both know what it’s like. If something happens, we should be there for each other.”

“I-,” he began to oppose,“You’re right.”

“I might be able to bring Jake, Chloe, and Brooke here to visit you. Maybe you could explain what happened to them?”

“NO! Absolutely not! How do I tell them I’m actually a nerd with a lisp because I was controlled by a super computer?!”

“... Fair point. You should talk to them eventually.”

“They all think I’m dead. I can probably survive until they forget about me completely and I never have to talk to them again!”

“But don’t you miss them?”

“I guess…”

“You should talk to them at some point.”

“Okay,” Rich replied defeatedly.

Just then, a nurse walked in. “Jeremy? It’s time to leave.”

“Bye Rich.”

“Bye.”

“See you at school, okay?”

“Okay.” Rich was very happy he had a real friend for the first time since middle school.

For the rest of the day, no one came. He spent the day watching TV and staring at the ceiling.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed! Please leave comments and kudos!


	9. This Time Jeremy Visits

The next day, about the time school would’ve ended, Jeremy showed up.  
“Jeremy? Why are you here?”  
“I thought you might be lonely.”  
“Don’t you have a ton of homework or something?”  
“Yeah but I figured you’d appreciate a visit.”  
“Thanks.” A pause .”So… how was school I guess?”  
“It was… weird. I sat with Jake, Brooke, Chloe, Jenna, Christine, and Michael all together at lunch today. They were all being nice to me?”  
“Wow.”  
“Yeah. They said they felt more connected after they did ecstasy at the play.”  
“Wait wasn’t it squips that they took? That’s what Michael told me.”  
“Yeah it was squips. I explained the whole thing to them during lunch and then some of them went to the Payless to see if they were real.”  
“What about Jake?”  
“Oh uh yeah he walked in his legs during the play and he’s in a wheelchair now.”  
“Oh shit. I guess that’s my fault, isn't it.”  
“Stop blaming yourself! I was the one who squipped everyone at the play!”  
“Did you tell them about me?”  
“A little, I told them you were in the hospital with me and that you had a squip and that it was gone. I figured you’d want to tell them the rest yourself.”  
“Okay.”  
~  
They continued talking until Jeremy has to leave, which was at about 5:45 PM because his dad wanted them to have a ‘family dinner’ that night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed! Please leave comments and kudos!


	10. The Final Visit

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The final chapter!

The next day, at the same time they usually visited, Jeremy came again, but this time Michael was there too. 

“Hey Rich. Michael wanted to come too this time. Is that okay?”

“Yeah! Totally.”

“‘Wanted’ is a strong word,” Michael said.

“Oh… well, I’m glad you’re here.” Rich replied.

Michael was still kind of iffy on the subject of Rich. Jeremy had made a promise to be friends with Rich because he sounded so lonely and desperate. Rich wasn’t so bad, Jeremy had realized after talking to him. 

“Y’know, I’ve been wondering,” Michael started, “why didn’t you try to talk to us freshman year? I know you were a nerd just like us.”

“I did.”

“What?” Jeremy said. Michael has an equally confused expression.

“I mean, I figured you didn’t, but I tried, once.” He continued and explained the scenario,

_ Fall, freshman year. Pre-squip. Michael and Jeremy were sitting and chatting at their usual table. Richard had noticed them, they were like him. He had built up the confidence, and today he was going to sit with them. He walked over to their table and asked, “Can I, uh, sit with you?” He had a lopsided, hopeful smile.  _

_ Michael replied,”Can you… ‘thit’... here?” _

_ Rich was shocked. His hopeful expression immediately fell into a sad and embarrassed one, as did Michael’s, when he realized what he’d said. Rich walked away quickly and ate his lunch in an empty corner like he usually did. _

Michael looked extremely guilty after he remembered. Jeremy said, “Wait you don’t know what happened after that!”

“What?”

And Jeremy continued where Rich left off,

_ “H-hey Michael, that was… kind of mean.” _

_ “I… I know. I regret making fun of him now. I feel really bad.” _

_ “Why did you say it?” _

_ “I didn’t want anything to get in between our two player game, I guess. I should apologize and invite him to sit with us.” _

_ “Yeah. Let’s go find him.” _

_ They headed out of the cafeteria and searched all around the school. They didn’t end up finding him. _

_ “Next time I see him I’ll apologize,” Michael said as the bell was ringing. Jeremy nodded in agreement. Michael didn’t notice Rich. _

“I get that, I mean, I was basically invisible.”

“Uh… Sorry,” Michael apologized, “do you want to sit with us at lunch when you get back?”

Rich smiled. “Yes. I’d like that.”

Then, it was time for them to leave.

~

The next day, he was discharged in the evening. He was sent home with a bunch of painkillers and ointment.

He walked home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! I plan to continue this in a post-squip ‘Rich goes back to school’ type fic. Until then, thanks for reading!

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you enjoyed! Please leave kudos and comments!


End file.
